Trump says he may give written testimony in House impeachment probe
President Trump suggested Monday he might be willing to offer written testimony in the House impeachment inquiry over whether he pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate Joe Biden and his son while withholding aid to the country.
In a pair of tweets, Trump says he will “strongly consider†an offer by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) to testify before the House impeachment panel.
Trump tweeted, “She also said I could do it in writing. Even though I did nothing wrong, and don’t like giving credibility to this No Due Process Hoax, I like the idea & will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it!â€
Pelosi told CBS’ “Face the Nation†in an interview aired Sunday that Trump could come before the committee and “speak all the truth that he wants.â€
The president provided written answers to questions from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III during his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Mueller’s team tried to interview the president for more than a year before Trump submitted the written testimony in response to questions on certain Russia-related topics in November 2018.
But Mueller found many of Trump’s answers in the Russia probe less than satisfying. The format, he said in his final report to Congress, showed “the inadequacy of the written format,†especially because the office was unable to ask follow-up questions.
Mueller’s team cited dozens of answers that it considered incomplete or imprecise. Trump said he had no recollection for several questions posed by the special counsel’s office
After Trump submitted the written answers, the special counsel’s office again sought an in-person interview with Trump, but the president declined.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
